


"You're a-Coffee Shop"

by XxmerthurcatxX



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Barista Dean, Castiel and Dean Winchester Being Idiots, College Student Castiel, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, SO MUCH FLUFF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-23
Updated: 2015-07-04
Packaged: 2018-03-31 19:56:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3990724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XxmerthurcatxX/pseuds/XxmerthurcatxX
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean is a barista at "67 Angels," a coffee shop near Stanford. Everything was going swimmingly until Castiel, also known as "sir frowns a lot" comes into his life and turns it upside down...in a good way?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mr. Grumpy Gills

Dean loved his job. Really he did. Working at a coffee shop with his best friend was a dream come true compared to the other jobs he’d had. Like working for that dick Zachariah in marketing for a year. That was a fuckin blast. 

Sure he had to deal with his fair share of disgruntled customers who clearly needed coffee just to get started in the morning, but it wasn’t so bad…usually. Until the frowning dude started showing up three times a week. He always looked at Dean like he just ran over his puppy. It was a shame too since the guy was drop dead gorgeous with these bright blue eyes and permanent sex hair. Sure he dressed kind of like a tax accountant, with a weird ass tan trench coat, but honestly it kind of worked for him. 

“Any sign of Mr. grumpy gills yet this morning?” Charlie asked, leaning across the counter to snag a washrag.

“Nope. But the days still young,” Dean grumbled flipping the lever to make a double latte before setting it on the counter. 

“You could try actually talking to him. Maybe find out why he looks so grouchy.”

“Or I could just take his order and be done with it.”

“Well that’s not gonna help you get in his pants,” she pointed out.

“Who said I wanted in his pants?” he asked.

“Oh please, your heart eyes are nauseating. Plus you look at him like you want to lick him from head to toe and—

“And that’s the end of that conversation,” he said, glaring at her, “Order up for Joanna Beth!”

A blonde girl stomped over the counter, glaring at Dean.

“Seriously Dean. Full name and middle name? Why do you hate me?” she asked, snagging her coffee.

“Oh come on Jo, you know I love you,” he said with a grin.

“Uh-huh. Just for that I’m telling my Mom you’re coming by for dinner soon.”

“Don’t even—

“Too late! It’s happening!” she called, hustling out the door.

“You set yourself up for that one,” Charlie said, slapping Dean on the back and grinning at him. 

“Yeah, me and my big mouth,” he muttered.

“Things are about to get even better. Look who it is,” she whispered, nodding toward the register where sure enough Mr. grumpy gills was standing, squinting at the menu. Dean sighed, put on a big fake smile and headed over. 

“Good morning! What can I get for you today?” he asked cheerily.

The man turned his bright blue eyes on Dean; scowl still firmly planted on his face. Huh, he looked grumpier than usual.

“I’d like a…” he trailed off, glancing up at the menu again. 

Dean waited patiently, but the man just sighed and shook his head.

“Never mind. Sorry,” he said, turning to leave.

It would be so easy to just let him walk out. Let him take his damn frown with him. But apparently Dean hadn’t opened his big mouth enough for one day. 

“Hang on a sec!” he called after him.

The man turned around, tilting his head in confusion. 

“Yes?” he asked.

“Do you need help reading the menu?”

He blinked at Dean in surprise.

“How did—

“Well you’re usually pretty grumpy looking in the morning, please don’t tell the boss I said that, but you were squinting pretty hard today. Lose your contacts or something?”

The man made his way back over to the counter; his cheeks now flushed a light shade of pink. 

“I-I lost my glasses several weeks ago and I’ve been wearing contacts, but I ran out today. My new glasses won’t be here for a couple days,” he explained. 

“Hey no problem buddy, just tell me what you’re in the mood for and I’ll help you out.”

“Um, I think I’d like a latte but I’m not sure what flavor.”

Dean nodded; ignoring the smirk Charlie was sending his way.

“Well we’ve got mocha, caramel, peppermint, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice. Any of those sound good?” he asked.

“Yes. I’ll go with a venti pumpkin spice latte please.”

“Comin right up. That’ll be $3.55.”

The man handed him four dollars, dropping his change in the tip jar when Dean handed it back to him.

“Got a name for the cup?”

“Castiel.”

“Uh…could you spell that?”

“Just Cas is fine,” he said, smiling slightly.

“Okay, cool.”

“That’s the first time you’ve asked for my name,” he observed.

“Dude, you’re kind of scary in the morning,” Dean admitted.

Cas looked at him sheepishly.

“I’m sorry. My people skills are rusty at the best of times. I really can’t be held accountable for my behavior in the morning.”

“I feel ya.”

“Order for Cas!” Charlie called.

“Guess that’s my cue,” Cas said grabbing his cup before turning back to Dean, “Thank you for your help…” he squinted at the nametag.

“Dean.”

“Dean. I’ll try to be a little less scary the next time I come in.”

“Sounds good. See you around Cas,” he said, smiling his first real smile at him. 

“Goodbye Dean.”

As soon as he was out the door Charlie was at his side, bumping his hip with hers.

“You are so fucked.”

“Tell me about it,” Dean sighed.


	2. Attack of the Slamming Headboard

Dean liked to think he was a reasonably chill guy. But when Sam decided to have Jess over to test out just how sturdy his bed was, at two-thirty in the fucking morning, he was less than thrilled. He supposed it was Sam’s payback for all the times he’d walked into Dean’s room when he had someone in the sheets in high school. Whatever it was, Dean had decided he’d had enough, groaning and dragging himself out of bed.

He yanked on a pair of jeans and a flannel before trudging down the hall, tugging on his boots, and making sure to snag his wallet, before heading out for a walk. There was a twenty-four hour grocery store just down the street, one he’d become quite familiar with from many sleepless nights. Being an insomniac meant lots of late night walks. And of course on the one night he had actually fallen asleep with a fair amount of ease, he was rudely awakened by his brother’s headboard slamming against the wall. It was Sunday for fuck sake, didn’t Sam have class tomorrow?

As usual the store was pretty much dead, some lame ass country song playing softly in the background. Dean paced around the isles, headed for the pretzels, his favorite “what even is sleep” snack. Turning the corner he wasn’t expecting to crash straight into something, or more specifically someone. 

“Whoa! Sorry man, I wasn’t looking where I was—

He cut off, looking down in surprise at the man on the ground. He had on an ancient looking pair of thick rimmed glasses, but those blue eyes were unmistakable.

“Cas?” he asked, offering him a hand up.

Cas accepted it, allowing Dean to pull him to his feet. If Dean gave him a little up down that was his business. It was odd seeing Cas out of his usually garb. He was wearing jeans for starters and grey sweater that was several sizes too long. Typical Sunday night walking clothes. 

“Hello Dean.”

“Hey, uh, what are you doing here so late?”

“My brother, Gabriel, is throwing a party and his guests have yet to leave…or reduce the noise level,” he explained. “What about you?”

“Couldn’t sleep so I figured I’d go for a walk. I live right down the street,” Dean said, deciding that was the simplest explanation. 

“I see. I live down the street also, in the big red apartment building. Where are you?” Cas asked.

“…I’m, uh, also in the big red apartment building.”

“That can not be true. I would remember you,” he blurted, blushing when he realized what he had said.

“Oh really?” Dean said with a grin.

“I just mean…”

“No problem Cas. I’d have a hard time forgetting you too. Especially with those glasses,” he teased.

Cas’s eyes widened in mortification as he quickly yanked them off his face.

“I-I forgot I was wearing them. They’re my spare ones. I made the mistake of letting Gabriel take my prescription and pick them out a few years ago,” he explained, moving to slide them into his pocket. 

Dean reached out to stop him, pulling the glasses from his hand and sliding them onto his own face. Holy shit Cas was blind.

“How do I look?” Dean asked, giving Cas his best blue steel face.

“Well you kind of look like a blob so I can’t really tell,” Cas admitted, reaching up and taking his glasses back. 

Dean frowned when he started to put them in his pocket again. He snatched them back, smiling as the confused little head tilt he got in return. Dean slid the glasses gently up the bridge of Cas’s nose.

“No reason for you to go blind.”

“T-thank you.”

They stared at each other for a moment before Cas glanced down at his watch.

“I should go. I have class in the morning,” he said.

“Yeah, I should head out too. Just gotta sneak around you here for a second,” Dean said, stepping close to Cas and reaching up to the shelf above him to grab the pretzels.  
They headed to the register to check out quickly. Dean held the door open for Cas on their way out.

“So Cas, tell me about yourself,” he said, cursing himself for how dumb that sounded. He’d have to make sure to leave that part out when he told Charlie at work tomorrow. 

“There’s really not much to tell,” Cas admitted.

“Pfft, I call bullshit. You said you have class tomorrow, so are you in school?”

“Yes. I’m a junior at Stanford. Mythology major with a philosophy minor.”

Dean let out a whistle.

“Well that must keep you busy.”

“It does,” Cas said with a chuckle. “But I love it, so it’s not so bad. What about you? Are you in school?”

“Nah. I went to community college a while back, got my associates degree. School was always Sammy’s thing, not mine. He goes to Stanford to actually; prelaw.”

“Sammy?”

“My little brother. He hates when I call him Sammy cause he’s a grown up now,” Dean said, rolling his eyes. “He’s in the same year as you.”

“Hmmm, Sam. Winchester?” Cas asked.

Dean looked at him in surprise.

“Uh, yeah. You know him?”

“Yes. We both made the mistake of waiting to get our core classes done so we have statistics and biology together.”

“I’ve had to listen to Sammy bitch about those classes since the semester started. Are they really that bad?” Dean asked.

“Yes. Professor Binns, the statistics professor, is the dullest man I have ever had the displeasure of making acquaintance with. Professor Crowley is eccentric and honestly he seems mildly sadistic. We call him the king of hell outside of class,” Cas said with a smile.

They made their way into the apartment building and to the elevator.

“What floor?” Dean asked.

“Seven.”

Dean pushed the number four for himself and the seven for Cas.

"May I ask how old you are if Sam is your younger brother?" Cas asked.

"Twenty-six as of last month."

"Well happy belated birthday then."

The bell dinged, signaling that they had reached the floor far too soon for Dean’s liking. 

“See you tomorrow morning?” he asked, kicking himself for how desperately hopeful he sounded. 

“Yes. Hopefully I’ll be able to read the menu on my own this time,” he said, offering a soft smile.

“Well, I’m happy to help if you can’t,” Dean assured him.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Goodnight Dean.”

“Goodnight Cas.”

As the doors to the elevator closed Dean let out a breath he was pretty sure he’d been holding in since they were at the store. Finding out that there was more behind that frown was making him want to get to know Cas even more. He’d have to grill Sammy about him later.

Opening the door to his apartment, Dean prayed the Sam and Jess were done. He headed down the hall to his room, relieved to be met with silence. He collapsed onto his bed, surprised to actually feel tired. Pulling the blankets up he rolled onto his side, the pretzel bag laying forgotten on the floor.


	3. Help Me Study!

Cas leaned against his door and sighed happily. The party had dispersed while he was out, with the exception of Meg, who was passed out on the couch, and Gabriel who was half on the loveseat and half on the floor snoring his head off. Taking pity on him, Cas grabbed a hold of his feet and pulled the rest of his body up onto the comfier surface. Never let it be said that he didn’t love his brother. Then again he might just be in a good mood from his encounter with Dean.

Changing coffee shops had been the best decision of Cas’s life. He would grudgingly admit that the previous place he frequented was Starbucks, but he got tired of the lines and the grouchy baristas so when Gabriel told him he should check out 67 Angels he was more than willing to give it a try.

Whatever he was expecting it wasn’t to set eyes on the most beautiful man he’d ever seen. Of course Cas was a less than functioning human being before he had his morning coffee so instead of trying to chat with the barista or at the very least read his freakin name tag, he let his tired brain take control and simply ordered with a scowl on his face and left. That’s how it had been for the past three weeks. He found himself being thankful that he lost his glasses and ran out of contacts or things may not have progressed. Not that one nice morning and a late night walk really meant much. But it was at least something!

Cas lay in bed staring at the ceiling. For once in his life he wasn’t exhausted. No, he was wide-awake and thinking about Dean. 

 

Dean trudged into the kitchen the next morning, feeling well rested since he actually managed four hours of sleep. His good mood was quickly ruined when he saw Sam and Jess making googly eyes at each other across the counter.

“Morning Dean,” Sam said, not even looking at him.

“Morning Sammy. Have fun last night?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow. 

“Oh, you heard then,” Jess said, looking at him sheepishly.

“Kinda hard not to with the headboard slamming against the wall.”

“Well now you know how I felt when you were in high school,” Sam grumbled.

“I knew it was payback!”

“At least you didn’t see anything Dean! I’m still scarred from that one time with Rhonda Hurley.”

“Dude! You promised we would never talk about that again,” Dean hissed.

“Ooo, what happened?” Jess asked eagerly. 

“Well I walked into Dean’s room to ask him what he wanted for pizza and he was wearing—

“Sam!” Dean cut him off, giving him the “one more word and I’ll burn your books” look. 

“Alright, alright,” Sam said, putting his hands up defensively, sharing a look with Jess that clearly meant he would tell her later. 

Dean sighed, grabbing his wallet off the counter before pulling on his shoes.

“Eager to get to work there Dean?” Jess asked, noticing his rush.

“Nope. Just, ya know, wanna beat traffic.”

“Dude, you walk to work,” Sam said.

“What’s her name?” Jess pried.

“She doesn’t have one. Cause she doesn’t exist,” Dean said.

“Okay, what’s his name then?” Sam asked.

“Nothing,” Dean said, a little too defensively.

“Oh, so there is someone,” Jess teased. 

“No there’s not and we’re done with this. I’ll see you after work,” Dean said hurriedly, practically running out the door. And if he walked a little faster to work than usual no one needed to know. 

Charlie was already there wiping down the counters when he arrived.

“Hey there hot stuff, how’s is goin?” she asked.

“Pretty good, went for a walk with Cas last night,” he said nonchalantly.

“What?! Whoa! Back up and tell that story from the beginning. I want every detail. Who kissed who first? Did he use tongue? Did you shove him against the wall and fuck his brains out?”

“Jesus Christ, I said we went for a walk!”

“Oh…that wasn’t a euphemism for sex? My bad,” she said, grinning cheekily. 

“I couldn’t sleep cause Sam had Jess over for an a later night sex marathon and—

“See! I knew there would be sex in the story.”

“Anyway! I went for a walk down to the little store on the corner and Cas was there. Turns out he actually lives in my building.”

“The plot thickens!”

“Dude, it wasn’t that interesting. We went for a walk and we talked, that’s all,” Dean said, tying his apron.

“Uh-huh. You can act like it didn’t give you goosebumps, but I see right through you Dean Winchester. Inside you’re just a big ole softy,” she said nudging his arm.

“Whatever,” he grumbled.

“Don’t be like that Dean. You know I love you.”

“Yeah, yeah I love you too. Even if you are a gigantic pain in my—

“Hello Dean.”

Dean jumped, spinning around to see Cas standing at the counter. He was dressed in his usual suit with the trench coat over it and his thick-rimmed glasses on his face.

“Mornin Cas. Thought you didn’t like to wear those in public.”

“Someone told me there was no reason I should go blind,” he said, smiling.

“Must be someone smart. What can I get for you this morning?” Dean asked, trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach.

“A venti pumpkin spice latte please.”

“Really? You don’t wanna mix it up a little?” 

“It’s very good,” Cas said.

“Hey man, whatever floats your boat. $3.55.”

Cas handed over the money, blushing slightly when Dean’s fingers brushed against his. He should just ask him out. There’s no harm in trying right? Cas took a deep breath, opened his mouth and—

“Cas! Thank God you’re here man!”

Cas turned around to see Sam rushing toward him looking completely out of sorts.

“Is everything alright?” Cas asked.

“You okay over there Sammy?” Dean called as he made Cas’s coffee.

“Um, no actually. I, uh…I failed a test,” Sam said, hanging his head. 

“You what?” Dean asked, turning around.

“The biology one?” Cas guessed.

“I completely forgot about it, but I thought I did okay. Apparently I failed it because I got an email from Professor Crowley telling me, and I quote, I better smarten up and study or he’d sic his hell hounds on me.”

“Don’t feel too bad Sammy. Just make sure you study real hard for the next one. It’ll be okay,” Dean assured him.

“I can help you study,” Cas offered.

“That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I’m pretty busy this week, but I’m free Saturday. Would you mind coming over for a study session?” Sam asked, turning his full on puppy dogs at Cas. 

“Of course. I will be there at noon if that works for you.”

“Sounds great. Thanks Cas! I gotta go,” Sam said, rushing back out of the store. 

Dean sighed, grabbing Cas’s coffee and handing it to him across the counter. Sam had never failed anything in his life. He was willing to bet he was a little more upset about it than he was letting on. He’d have to plunk him down tonight for a beer or two and a chat. But none of that touchy feely crap.

Cas took a long slow sip of his latte, lips quirking up slightly at the corners. Dean most certainly did not drool…okay maybe a little. 

“Thank you Dean. I’ll see you Saturday,” Cas said.

“Yeah, you have a good, um…see ya Cas.”

“Well brother I can see what Charlie meant,” Benny said, coming up behind Dean. Charlie giggled behind her hand.

“Eat me,” Dean grumbled.

“No thanks. We’ll leave that one for Cas,” Charlie teased.

Dean rolled his eyes, going around the counter to refill the napkin dispensers. Cas was coming over on Saturday. He knew he wasn’t gonna sleep a wink all week.


	4. Misunderstanding Number One

When Dean got home that night after work, later than he was hoping, Sam was sitting on the couch with his nose buried in a biology textbook. He sighed, snagging two beers out of the fridge before plunking down on the couch next to his moose of a brother, setting one of the beers on the coffee table in from of him. 

“Alright Sammy, let’s talk.”

“About what?” Sam asked, not even looking up. 

“You know what man,” Dean said seriously

Sam closed his book, setting it on the table and picking up his beer. He ran his free hand over his face before cracking open the beer and taking a long sip.

“I-I think I might have to end things with Jess.”

Dean nearly spit out his beer.

“What? I thought you were upset about the test. What the hell happened with Jess?” he asked.

“Nothing! She’s perfect. That’s the problem.”

“I’m not following.”

“I didn’t study for that test because I was hanging out with Jess,” Sam explained.

 

“Oh come on man, that’s not reason to end it with her. Just be more careful next time you have a test and schedule your sex marathons around study time,” Dean teased.

“This is serious Dean. I’m–I’m not good for her,” Sam said, voice barely above a whisper. 

“Whoa, okay. This is coming out of left field.”

“No it’s not. I mean, look at my track record. I end up hurting everyone I’ve ever been with.”

“That’s not true.”

“We both know it is Dean. And I don’t know what I would do if I ever hurt Jess. The best thing for her is to get as far away from me as she can,” Sam said sadly.

Dean started at his brother for a moment before setting his beer down, and leaning back. Honestly he feels kind of bad. Growing up they hadn’t really had much. After their mother died their father turned to drinking and he was never at home long, just stopping in long enough to drop of some cash, when he remembered. Sam had never really had a good stable couple around to show him how a real relationship worked.

In high school Dean had fooled around a lot. Sam had watched an endless string of girls come up to his brother’s room and leave the next morning. Dean sighed, scratching to back of his neck and trying to push down his guilt for being a shitty role model for his brother. Then again, Sammy was so much better than he was. He leaned forward suddenly and smacked his brother on the back of the head.

“Ow! What the hell?!”

“Sorry dude, but you’re being stupid.”

“What do you—

“Jess is crazy about you man, and I know you’re crazy about her too. I know I’m not exactly the poster child for committed relationships, but I think you guys really have something. Don’t give up on it just cause it hasn’t worked out in the past,” Dean said.

Sam looked at Dean in surprise.

“I thought you didn’t do chick flick moments.”

“I don’t, but you’re my brother and you need to get your head of your ass so I figured I’d try to lend a hand.”

“Pfft, wow, way to ruin it Dean,” Sam said, scoffing. 

“Anything for you Sammy,” Dean said, getting up from the couch.

“You heading to bed? It’s only 10:00.”

“Yeah I know, but I’m beat. Plus it’s not like I’ll be able to sleep anyway. Doesn’t matter what time I start trying,” Dean grumbled, turning to leave. 

“Hey Dean?” Sam called after him.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

“No problem little bro.” 

Dean headed down the hall to his room, not even bothering to turn on the light before plunking down on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. Worrying about Sam was nothing new, but feeling like he had really let his brother down was. He tried so hard to be a good brother, but he forgot to teach his little brother the most important lesson; it was okay to be scared. Sam was clearly scared of how serious he and Jess were getting and he wanted to run away instead of just wait out the initial terrifying chunk of time when you’re really starting to get to know a person.

He sighed. Wallowing about being a shitty brother wasn’t going to help. He let his mind wander to thoughts of Cas. Cas with his dorky thick-rimmed glasses and permanent bedhead. Even dressed like a freakin tax accountant the man looked like sex on legs. Hell he’d only known the guy existed for three weeks and they’d barely talked, but he knew what he was feeling and it was far from platonic if the way his dick twitched in his pants at the thought of Cas licking the foam from his lips after a long sip of his pumpkin spice latte was any indication. 

It was still too early to even try going to sleep, but there was no harm in trying to relax a little, Dean though as he let his hand slide slowly down his stomach to the button on the front of his jeans. He’d never admit it, but he liked a little teasing before getting down to it, so he ran his fingers slowly along the front of his jeans where a definite bulge was forming, so light he hardly felt it. A shiver ran through his body, as he pressed a little harder, enjoying the barely there friction as he rubbed his hand back and forth.

Ready to take it a little further he undid the button of his jeans and slid the zipper down, pausing any ministrations to pull his pants and boxer briefs all the way off before settling onto his back. He closed his eyes, running his hand up the inside of his thigh and circling the base of his dick before taking himself in his hand. He bit his lip to keep the noise that threatened to escape on the first couple strokes down, wary of Sam hearing anything from the living room. 

Using his free hand he reached for his bedside table, pulling open the drawer and snagging the bottle of lube he kept stashed there. Dean squeezed the liquid onto his palm before resume his strokes, tightening his grip until it was just right. This time he couldn’t hold back the low moan in the back of his throat.

He thought about Cas running his hands over his chest, sucking on his neck while his hand jerked Dean at a merciless pace. Dean liked to be pushed around and played with just a little when he was in bed with someone. Imagining someone so quiet and mild mannered like Cas doing wicked things to him was doing things to Dean he would never admit out loud. 

His hips were pushing up off the bed in time with his strokes and he was chocking back gasps and groans and he pumped harder and faster. 

“Cas,” he whispered, wanting to taste the name on his tongue, just to test it out. 

He thought of Cas, whispering filthy things in his ear and nipping at his earlobe before kissing him hard and fast. Oh God, the things he wanted Cas to do to him, hell, the things he wanted to do to Cas. Dean slipped one finger down passed his balls and pushed straight into himself, right up to the knuckle, not even bothering with lube. The barely there burn and stretch only added to the pleasure and with one last thought of Cas pushing into him and fucking him senseless into the mattress Dean was coming, muscles clenching as he let out a low gasp followed by a soft groan. 

Dean let go of his softening dick, sinking boneless into the mattress and pulling up the covers. He was exhausted, but knowing he’d be awake again in a few hours he rolled over and let sleep take him over, even if it was only brief.

XXXXXX

Cas didn’t come in Wednesday morning. Not that Dean was looking for him. Oh who was he kidding, yes he fucking was. It was just odd.

“Still no sign of lover boy?” Benny asked, setting two lattes on the counter and shouting out the names for the orders before leaning against the counter and fixing Dean with a look.

“First of all, we’re not lovers so shut up. And second…no, no sign of him,” Dean said, trying not too look crestfallen. 

“Buck up Romeo, I’m sure he’s just busy,” Charlie said, creeping up behind him and hugging him tight around the waist.

“Yeah I guess,” Dean grumbled, pouting.

“Oh come on, not the pouty face! It’s not like he’s dead in a ditch somewhere Dean.”

“I know, I know! I just—

“Miss your man crush,” Charlie finished.

Dean glared at her, pulling out of her grip and spinning to face her before attacking her sides. Charlie squeaked, trying to dodge him.

“Quit it you ass! You know I hate being tickled!”

“Maybe you should be a little nicer to me then!”

Dean chased her around the counter, both of them laughing. Benny just shook his head and wiped down the counter some more. 

“Ha! Gotcha!” Dean said victoriously, locking his arms around her waist and pulling her into a bear hug. The bell jingled above the door, making both of them jump.

Cas, in all his trench-coated glory, was standing in the doorway staring at them. Dean let go of Charlie and hustled behind the counter, smiling. Cas didn’t smile back.

“Hey Cas, what can I get for you today?” Dean asked.

Cas walked slowly up to the counter, not looking at Dean as he spouted off his order.

“I’d like a venti chai latte.”

Dean frowned.

“Um, you okay Cas?” he asked.

“Fine, just…tired,” Cas finished lamely. 

“You sure you don’t want something with a little more caffeine then?”

“How much do I owe you?” he asked sharply, fixing him with a glare.

Dean bit his lip, swallowing the lump in his throat that was rising from the tone of Cas’s voice. God, he was looking at him like he was the scum of the Earth.

“T-three-fifty,” he said.

Cas handed over the cash and went to wait by the order pick up counter. Charlie leaned next to Dean as he made Cas’s latte.

“What’s up with him?” she asked.

“No idea,” he said, voice cracking a little. Dean cursed himself, annoyed that he wasn’t hiding how sensitive he actually was. 

“Oh honey, it’s okay. Wait…you don’t think he thought you and me were like, together do you?”

Dean gaped at her.

“He wouldn’t think that would he?”

“I don’t know man, but he came in when you were tickling me. To the untrained eye it would look like we’re together.”

“But you don’t even bat for my team!”

“I know that! But he doesn’t.”

“Why would he even care? It’s not like he likes me.”

“Oh shut up Dean, he’s totally into you.”

“Whatever Charlie,” he said, not believing her.

“Right, well while you sit here and have your little pity party I’m gonna go clear this little misunderstanding up. You just sit tight,” she said, winking at him and pulling ou her phone.

She walked down to the end of the counter where Cas was standing, pressing her phone to her ear and pretending she had called her mother.

“Hey Mom. Yeah I’ve been good, how are you? Good. I just wanted to tell you that I’m a lesbian. Yep. I love lady parts. Okay. Cool. See you for Thanksgiving. Bye Mom.”

She smirked as she headed back over to Dean, not missing the way Cas had jumped in surprise.

“He’s all yours lover boy,” she said, grinning at Dean before heading out back.

Dean straightened up, putting a cover on Cas’s latte and bringing it over to him.

“Here ya go Cas,” he said, sliding it over to him and turning around.

“Wait! Um, I’m sorry I snapped at you. It’s just…never mind, it doesn’t matter. But I really am sorry for the way I acted,” Cas apologized, looking at Dean sheepishly.

“Don’t worry about it. Actually I’m on break now. If you have time we could um, talk a little,” Dean said, bracing himself for rejection.

“That’s sounds great,” Cas said, smiling.

“Oh, uh, cool. I’ll just, grab a cup of coffee and meet you at the window table.”

Cas nodded, heading over to the table. Dean didn’t think he’d ever made a coffee that fast in his life.


	5. Coffee...Date?

The walk to the window table was one of the longest of Dean’s life. So what if he was giving himself an intern pep talk? That was no one else’s business but his own. Cas sipped his chai latte, oblivious to Dean’s nervousness. Taking a deep breath, Dean walked the fast few steps and sat down across from Cas, who smiled at him as he set his latte down.

“So, how are…things?” Dean asked, resisting the urge to slam his face into the table at how dumb the question sounded. Way to not fucking play it cool Winchester.

“Things are…okay I suppose,” Cas said, frowning a little.

“You wanna talk about it?”

“It’s just my brother, Gabriel. He can be difficult to handle sometimes.”

“Is he the reason you weren’t here this morning?”

Cas quirked a brow at Dean, tilting his head. Dean blushed, contemplating drowning himself in his coffee. 

“S-sorry if that’s weird it’s just, um, y-you usually come in on Wednesday mornings.”

It was Cas’s turn to blush. Oh dear god, no, he can’t be cute and sexy. That’s just not fair. 

“Yes, he insisted on dragging me to some café with him this morning for breakfast,” Cas said.

Dean got the feeling that wasn’t all there was to the story.

“So, you just didn’t feel like getting breakfast with him?” he asked.”

Cas sighed.

“I love my brother, but he is a little over protective of me. He wants what’s best for me and right now he’s convinced that’s meeting someone and settling down. Of course he keeps picking the worst men and—

Cas cut off, realizing what he had just said. His eyes widened and he looked ready to bolt. 

“Hey man, no need to freak out. It doesn’t bother me that you’re…”

“Gay,” Cas finished for him.

“Yeah. Gay. I’m bi, so it’s not like I could really judge,” Dean said, shrugging and sipping his coffee. 

Cas’s shoulders visibly relaxed, giving Dean the feeling that not everyone has been accepting of Cas’s sexuality.

“So, about these horrible men your brother keeps picking out for you.”

“Right. Well, he forgets that he and I are not into the same type of guys. He likes business men, the lawyer type. Don’t ask why, I have not idea.”

“And what about you? What types of men are you into?” Dean asked, biting his lip nervously. 

“Um, more down to earth I guess. I don’t need the extravagance that Gabriel likes. I’m content with someone who it’s just…easy to be with. Like breathing,” Cas said, sighing and glancing out the window. 

“I get that. Sammy tried to set me up with a friend of his once and that was a mistake. He was too much and I just couldn’t be what he wanted.”

Cas nodded in understanding.

“We should talk about a happier subject. Tell me about you,” Cas said.

“There’s not really much to tell,” Dean said shyly.

“I’m sure that’s not true. Here I’ll make it a little easier. Where are you from?”

“Lawrence, Kansas. Born and raised. Loved it there too, but Sammy got almost a full scholarship to Standford and it was all he’d ever wanted, so I moved out here with him to help pay for him go,” Dean said.

Cas was staring at him so intensely it was honestly a little unnerving. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” 

“Cause you’re amazing,” Cas said simply.

“No I—

“Dean, you moved out here so your brother’s dream could come true. So when I say you’re amazing, you will believe me. Are we clear?” he asked seriously.

“Crystal,” Dean said, coughing to clear his throat. “So what about you? Where are you from?”

“Here,” Cas said dully.

“Well why don’t you tell me how you really feel?” Dean said, chuckling slightly.

“My whole family went to Stanford. So naturally I had to go to. Even if it wasn’t really what I wanted.”

“What did you want? Shit. Is that too personal? I’m sorry. Forget I-- 

“It’s fine,” Cas said, cutting off his rant with a gentle smile. “I wanted to travel. See as much of the world as I could. And um…” he trailed off, looking nervous.

“And what?” Dean prompted curiously. 

“I want to be a beekeeper,” he muttered, looking up at Dean nervously, like he was afraid he would laugh.

“I could see you being a beekeeper. Bees are pretty cool.”

The smile the lit up Cas’s face made Dean’s heart skip a beat. He leaned back and smiled a little himself as Cas launched into a story about why he wanted to be a beekeeper and how bees were “just so fascinating.” Before he knew it, it was almost closing time. Cas jumped when he looked at his watch.

“Oh gosh! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you this long. And you were working too!” he spazzed.

“Whoa, chill man. It’s okay. Charlie was covering for me,” he said, turning and giving Charlie an appreciative wave as she headed out the door. She just winked, making a crude gesture when Cas wasn’t looking. Dean blushed and flipped her off.

“What about you Cas? You must have had plans today,” Dean said, getting to his feet to take care of his now empty coffee cup. Cas got up and followed him, leaning against the counter.

“Not really. Wednesdays are not my crazy days. Though I may have forgotten about a class,” he said sheepishly.

“Skipping class? You’re turning into a real rebel,” Dean teased. 

“It wasn’t important anyway. It was going over some material I already know.”

Dean plucked a chocolate chip muffin from the display case and wrapped it up, slipping it into a bag.

“Here,” he said, handing it to Cas, “as a thank you for putting up with me all day.”

“If anyone deserves a muffin it’s you Dean. You listened to me talk about bees.”

“It was interesting. You’re pretty cool Cas…now take the damn muffin.”

Cas laughed, accepting the bag.

“Well if you insist. I should probably go now. Unfortunately I have some homework to get done before tomorrow.”

“I’d walk with you, but I promised Charlie I’d do inventory tonight.”

“That’s okay. I’ll see you Saturday.”

“You will?”

“I’m helping Sam study, remember?”

“Oh, right! See you then.”

Cas walked toward the door, pausing to wave at Dean over his shoulder before heading out.

Dean dropped his head onto the counter. For a moment before he pulled out his phone and called Sam.

“Sammy? Prepare yourself. We’re cleaning the apartment tomorrow.”


	6. Apple Pie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took me so long to update! I have a summer job and the hours are craaaaaaaaaaazy.

Saturday came way too soon and Dean was an absolute nervous wreck.

“Seriously Dean, it doesn’t matter what you wear. It’s just Cas,” Sam said when Dean had asked his opinion on another shirt.

“Yeah but I don’t want to make a shitty impression,” Dean said, rolling up the sleeves of the orange flannel before sighing and tugging it off instead.

“He’s seen you in the green coffee shop apron dude. He’s not going to care. Why do you care so much anyway?”

“No reason!” Dean said too quickly.

Sam looked at him for a second before his eyes widened, mouth dropping open. 

“Oh my God!”

“Don’t say it!”

“You-you like—

“I mean it Sammy!”

“You like Cas! Of course! Jesus how did I not see it?” Sam said, laughing.

“Can we please leave it alone?”

“Oh hell no. Remember when you found out I liked Jess? You wouldn’t let me hear the end of it.”

“Fine. You can get your revenge and grill me about it later, but right now I need to find something to wear,” Dean grumbled, trudging to his room and rolling his eyes when he realized Sam was following him.

He ignored his moose of a brother as he dug around in his closet.

“Jesus do I own anything that’s not plaid or a band t-shirt?!”

“Go with the Zep shirt and a faded green Henley over it,” Sam suggested.

“Why?”

“Cause the green will bring out your eyes.”

Dean glared at his brother but pulled on the shirts anyway. He inspected his appearance in the mirror, nodding his approval. Sam smiled triumphantly.

“So…you gonna ask him out?”

“W-what? No!”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s not interested.”

“How do you know?”

Dean busied himself in his closet, hanging up clothes he had thrown around and pretending he didn’t hear his brother. 

How did he know? Cause what the hell did he have to offer? Cas was…extraordinary. He was going places and Dean was stuck at the coffee shop, and occasionally helping out as a mechanic on the weekends. Cas deserved to be with someone who didn’t have to dig coffee grinds out from under his nails after a days work. Someone who could give him everything he wanted. Someone who was the exact opposite of Dean. 

“Quit brooding over there. He’s gonna be here soon.”

Dean sighed.

“On second thought Sammy, I think I’ll just stay in my room the whole day. Making no noise and pretending I don’t exist.”

“Who are you, Harry Potter? Come on Dean, at least say hi,” Sam coaxed.

“Nah,” Dean said, shaking his head, “You guys have to study anyway. I’ll just hang out here and watch Netflix or something.”

Sam opened his mouth to argue, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to—

“I’m sure. Go. Get some work done,” Dean said, smiling as best he could.

Sam threw his hands in the air, still looking like he wanted to argue, but walked out of the room to let Cas in anyway. Dean closed his bedroom door and locked in as soon as he was gone, then promptly plopped down onto his bed and opened his laptop to marathon Doctor Sexy. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Somewhere around the six or seventh episode Dean’s stomach rumbled. He glanced at his phone. Six o’clock. He figured it might be safe to venture out for food. Cas had gotten there around noon, so he had probably gone already. Who wanted to study for more than six hours?

Dean yawned, shuffling down the hallway to the kitchen. It was empty. He let out a sigh of relief. His fingers closed around the handle of the refrigerator, but he paused, looking at the recipe taped to the fridge door. Apple pie. Smiling softly, he touched the crinkled slip of paper gingerly before sliding the magnet off of it and setting it on the counter as he went about pulling the ingredients out of cabinets. It’s not like he needed the recipe at this point since he’d made it so many damn times, but he liked having it there anyway.

“Hello Dean.”

He jumped, and there may have been a little bit of a squeak, turning around with one hand clutching his heart.

Sure enough there was Cas. It took Dean a second to realize he wasn’t wearing his usual suit and trench coat, but was instead wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a cream colored sweater with a big yellow bumble bee in the middle.

“Uh, h-hi Cas.”

“Sam said you weren’t around today. Did you just get back?” Cas asked, tilting his head.

“No, I was in my room. I wasn’t feeling to great this morning,” he lied.

“But you’re better now?”

“Yeah. Yeah much better.”

Cas looked behind him at the ingredients on the counter.

“Are you making something?” he asked.

“Yep. Best apple pie in the world,” Dean said proudly. 

“I see. Would you like some help?”

Dean barely managed not to gape at him.

“Y-you want to…where’s Sammy?”

“He fell asleep an hour ago.”

“Pfft, of course he did.”

They stood in awkward silence for a moment.

“So?” Cas asked.

“So what?”

“Would you like help?”

“Oh! Right, sorry. Yes. Yes I’d love help.”

“What can I do?”

“Want to start measuring the dry ingredients into that bowl?” Dean asked, handing Cas the recipe.

Cas nodded, rolling up his sleeves and coming around to stand next to him. Dean gulped when their arms brushed as Cas reached for the flour.

They worked mostly in silence, Cas pausing to ask Dean if he was doing something right here and there, like rolling out the pie crust. In no time they had the pie in the oven. Cas leaned against the counter, wiping his forehead with his arm and successfully swiping flour across his brow. Dean stifled a chuckle.

“This recipe looks very old,” Cas observed, looking at the tiny crumpled paper.

“Yeah it, uh, it was my Mom’s recipe. Had it for years,” Dean said, trying to fight off the feeling in the pit of his stomach. Cas nodded in understanding, placing a gentle hand on Dean’s arm. He wasn’t prying and Dean was thankful for that. He took a deep breath. 

“She died in a fire. Sammy was just a baby. I was four.”

“I’m sorry.”

Dean had always hated those words. He’d heard them his whole life when someone found out his mother had died and they never seemed truly sincere. But when Cas said them it made Dean want to hold onto him for dear life and kiss him breathless. 

“Thanks Cas.”

“I lost my mother when I was very young also…and my father,” he confessed.

“Who raised you?” Dean asked.

“My older brother, Michael. He was not always around when he should have been, but it wasn’t bad. Even if he did push me to go to Stanford like him, and our father and our grandfather and so one.”

“I’m sorry for you too Cas.”

“Thank you Dean,” Cas said, smiling up at him. 

It was then that Dean realized how close they were. All he would have to do is lean forward a little and they’d be kissing. He swallowed hard, breath catching in his throat when he realized Cas had started leaning in. His eyes slipped shut and—

"Do I smell pie?"

They flew apart as Sam walked in. Dean had never hated pie, but in that moment he wanted nothing more than to pitch the damn thing out the window for rousing his brother. As he leaned down to get the pie out of the oven there was only one thought in his head. He was hopelessly in love with Castiel Novak.


	7. Feelings and Hair Braiding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry it's taking me a while to update. My work schedule is awful! I'm almost done though. The next chapter will be the last one! Thank you so much for sticking with me so far :D

Dean hadn’t been sleeping. Not that he got sleep all that regularly anyway, but it had been worse since Saturday. He’d thought things were okay. He didn’t do anything stupid like kiss him, even though it was a close call. He’d been feeling pretty proud of himself for not letting his true feelings show. Everything should have been fine but…Cas hadn’t been to the shop all week. 

 

When he hadn’t shown up on Monday Dean figured he got held up studying, since Sammy had been bitching about a test and he thought Cas might need a cram session as well. Then on Wednesday he convinced himself that he got dragged out to brunch with Gabriel again. But when Friday came and went he knew something was off. 

“Why are you staring at the door? It’s Saturday. He never comes in on Saturday,” Charlie said, jolting him from his thoughts.

“Yeah. Yeah I know. But he—he hasn’t been in all week and I’m starting to freak out,” Dean admitted. “I mean, what if he figured out how I feel and doesn’t know how to let me down?”

“You’re overreacting. It’s not like to slammed him up against a wall and shoved your tongue down his throat. And by the sound of it, he wanted to kiss you, so even if you did it probably would have gone over well.”

Dean glared at her.

“He’s way out of my league and you know it.”

“Oh get the hell over yourself you loser. Just because he’s some brainiac who’s probably gonna write best sellers and mold the minds of our youth doesn’t mean he can’t date a guy who works at a coffee shop.”

“You’re a—coffee shop,” he finished lamely.

“Really? That’s the best you could come up with?” she asked, arching a brow at him. 

Dean opened his mouth to tell her where she could shove her sass, but ended up yawning instead.

“Still not sleeping huh?” she asked sympathetically, rubbing his back and leaning her head on his shoulder.

“When do I ever actually get sleep?” 

“It’s worse though,” she said knowingly.

“I know,” he said, sighing.   
“  
You know you could always go to his apartment. He lives in the same building as you right?”

“Yeah. But I don’t wanna be a creepy stalker and knock on every door of the seventh floor until I find the right one.”

“Hmm, I see the problem.”

Dean yawned again.

“I’ll make you a cup of coffee. Black as usual or you wanna mix it up?”

“Black please. And I think I need a triple shot of espresso.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” she said, winking before heading over to the drink station.

Dean ran a hand tiredly over his eyes, hoping that triple shot would get him through the rest of the workday.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

When Dean got home from work that night Sam and Jess were making out on the couch.

“Ah! My eyes!” Dean yelled theatrically.

The couple separated quickly, both blushing like crazy.

“Uh, hey Dean. Thought you were working until ten,” Sam said, straightening his shirt a little.

“Benny let me go a little early. Said he didn’t want me doing inventory when my eyeballs were falling out of my head.”

“Still not sleeping then?” Jess asked.

“Nope. Doesn’t mean I’m not gonna try though,” Dean said, flashing them both a grin as he headed down the hall to his room. 

He heard Sam whisper something to Jess before the moose was following him and leaning against his doorframe.

“What do you want Sam?”

“Cas been into the shop yet?” he asked.

“No. Not once this week.”

“And?”

“And what?” Dean asked, frustrated. 

“Jesus Dean, I just want to make sure you’re okay!”

“I’m fine! Case closed. Leave it alone.”

Jess wandered in, leaning against Sam and fixing Dean with a look.

“Dean Winchester we are fucking worried about you, so like it or not you’re gonna sit your ass on the bed, Sam’s gonna braid my hair, and we’re gonna talk about your damn feelings.”

The boys stared at her.

“Now!” she ordered.

Dean sighed, but conceded, plunking down on his bed and resting against the headboard. Sam sat on the end with Jess half in his lap as he braided her hair.

“So, what’s going on inside that brain of yours?” Jess asked.

“Um, I guess I’m worried I did something to scare him off,” Dean said.

“Walk me through Saturday, what happened?”

“He hid in his room for most of the day,” Sam scoffed.

Dean glared at him.

“Seriously Dean? How old are you?”

“Well I—

“You know what, I don’t even want to hear it. Let’s just move on.”

“So I went to get something to eat from the kitchen, thinking Cas would be gone. But it turned out he was still there and bored because Sammy fell asleep while they were studying and—

“You fell asleep when you had a guest over,” Jess chided.

“I was tired. It’s not like I got much sleep the night before,” he teased, pinching her sides.

“Okay, I’m gonna need to buy some brain bleach for that moment right there, but for now I’m gonna pretend it didn’t happen and continue.”

“The floor is yours,” Jess said, swatting Sam’s arm.

“I was making apple pie and he offered to help. I was telling him about Mom and how it was her recipe and the next thing I knew we were both leaning in…but then Sasquatch here walked in before anything happened and Cas left.”

Jess frowned, processing everything.

“So, you guys would have kissed if Sam hadn’t ruined it.”

“Yeah. I think so.”

“Sorry man, I didn’t mean to mess it up for you,” Sam apologized, looking at his sheepishly. 

“Wait. If he was gonna kiss you then why are you worried? He clearly likes you too,” Jess said.

“But he hasn’t been into the shop since, so he’s obviously avoiding me,” Dean told her, sighing.

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about Dean. He’s probably just shy. I bet he’s trying to think of a way to tell you how he feels.”

“Yeah. Whatever,” he scoffed, shaking his head.

“You can think whatever you want bro, but don’t let it keep you up worrying. It’ll all work out,” Sam assured him, getting to his feet and pulling Jess up with him. 

Jess gave Dean’s arm a squeeze.

“It’ll be okay,” she promised, turning to leave with Sam. 

“Try to keep it down will ya!” Dean yelled after them. 

Sam flipped him off over his shoulder.

Dean sighed, shuffling into a comfortable position and flicking off his bedside lamp. He knew he wasn’t going to sleep much when he couldn’t stop thinking about Cas, but it was comforting to at least relax a little. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Dean jolted out of bed at the sound of a series of loud bangs on his door. He rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock. It was three AM. Who the fuck?

He wandered out of his room, stumbling down the hall to the door, yanking it open fully ready to give whoever it was an earful. The words died on his tongue.

“Cas?”


	8. Falling for you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter!!!! I've enjoyed writing this fic immensely and I sincerely apologize for the long stretches of time between updates! Also I'm sorry if the ending is a little rushed. I wanted to get this finished before another tech week makes it impossible for me to update.

Dean stared at the man in front of him. It had taken him a moment to recognize him, given that his usual attire was missing. A pair of sweats and a dark blue t-shirt with a bumblebee in the middle of it had replaced the familiar suit and trench coat. His hair was even messier than usual and judging by the bags under his eyes he hadn’t been getting much sleep.

“Cas?” Dean said again, confusion evident in his voice. “What are you doing here?”

Cas opened and closed his mouth a few times, staring at the floor and frowning as he tried to find the right words. He took a deep breath and looked up eyes, locking with Dean’s.

“I…I like you!” he blurted.

Dean’s eyes widened, his jaw dropping. No way. He had to be hearing things. There was no fucking way those words just came out of Cas’s mouth.

“Y-you—

“I’m sorry to show up at this time of night, but I just…I needed to tell you before I lost my confidence,” Cas interrupted.

Dean stared at him, still not believing what he was hearing.

“It’s just, um, you are the most extraordinary person I’ve ever met. You’re funny, smart, attractive to the point of unfairness, and I really like you. I was hoping you felt the same way. Which is why I felt the need to come declare my feelings for you in the middle of the night. And now I’m starting to ramble.”

He realized Cas looked absolutely terrified. As if he was dreading Dean’s reaction. Shit. This was when he was supposed to say something. Tell him his feelings are reciprocated. Dean opened his mouth, ready to completely embarrass himself by spilling his feelings.

“Dean? What’s going on?”

He turned to see Jess shuffling down the hall and rubbing her eyes in her pajamas, a crop top and shorts that left little to the imagination.

“Uh, nothing Jess. Just go back to bed,” Dean said, turning back to Cas.

The sight took him aback. Cas looked as if his heart had been brutally ripped from his chest, stomped on, and thrown out a window. His big blue eyes were wide, staring over Dean’s shoulder at Jess. It clicked in Dean’s head.

“No! Cas man it’s not—

“I-I thought you…clearly I’ve made a mistake,” his voice cracked, his eyes filling with tears.

Before Dean could tell him he didn’t make a mistake. That he wanted Cas more than anything in the world the man was gone, running down the hallway as fast as his legs could carry him. Dean stared after him in shock, breaking out of it a moment later to tear after him.

“Cas! Cas wait!” he shouted, not caring that he was probably waking up the whole floor. 

It was too late. Cas had reached the elevator and the doors were already closing. Dean slammed his fist against the doors, cursing loudly. 

“Dean, what the hell is going on?” Sam asked, coming down the hall.

Dean turned to him, swallowing back tears of frustration.

“Cas he…he showed up. Told me he likes me. But then he saw Jess and he thought,” he trailed off, knowing his brother would fill in the rest. 

“But you can clear it up next time you see him right?”

“He’s sure as hell never coming back to the shop now.”

“So? He lives in this building Dean. Go get him!”

Mrs. Mosely poked her head out of her door, fixing the boys with a stern look.

“Can’t you boys keep it down? It’s too damn late for you to get your man tonight. Do it at a decent hour so the rest of us can get some sleep,” she chastised. 

“Sorry Missouri,” Sam said, grabbing Dean’s arm and dragging him back to the apartment.

“But Sammy I gotta talk to him,” he argued.

“In the morning Dean. Don’t need you waking up the whole apartment building knocking on everyone’s door.”

Dean sighed, but decided his brother was probably right. He climbed back into his bed, head swimming with thoughts of Cas. What if he was too late? What if Cas wouldn’t listen to him? What if he told him he never wanted to see him again? What if…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dean dragged his sorry ass out of bed early that morning, getting ready for work. Sam quirked a brow at him as he entered the kitchen wearing his work shirt.

“You’re going to work? What about the great Cas crusade?” he asked.

“I have work and he has class. He won’t be there even if I find his door.”

Sam gave him a look, pulling out his cell phone.

“Hey Charlie? Yeah, Dean fucked up last night and needs to fix it so he won’t be coming into work today. Yep. I’ll be sure to give him the message. Thanks. Bye,” he hung up.

“Was that really necessary?” Dean asked.

“Yes. I’m not letting you wuss out of clearing this up because now you can’t tell me he doesn’t like you. Tell him how you feel! Oh, and Charlie wanted me to tell you to grow a pair and just lay one on him,” he said, making a face.

Dean moved toward the door, hand poised on the knob. He wanted Cas to know, he really did, but he was scared. Not that he’d ever admit that to Sam. The moose in question came up behind him, shoving him out of the way and opening the door before pushing him out into the hall and slamming the door behind him, making sure to lock it.

“Oh gosh, looks like the doors not working,” he teased.

“Come on Sammy, don’t make me do this while I’m dressed for work.”

“You should have thought about that before. Go get him tiger!”

Dean cursed his brother to the deepest depths of hell and back before squaring his shoulders and heading to the elevator. When the doors open he pressed the number seven, letting out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. This was going to be a fiasco. 

The elevator dinged far too soon, signaling the arrival to the seventh floor. Dean walked straight ahead to the first door and knocked before he could change his mind. A women with light brown hair and a tight black dress opened the door. She gave him a slow up and down.

“What can I do for you handsome?” she asked in a strong british accent, smirking.

“Um, does Castiel Novak live here?”

“No he doesn’t.”

“Oh, okay. Sorry to bother you.”

“It’s fine I suppose. If you don’t find who you’re looking for feel free to come back,” she said seductively.

“Right. Um…bye!”

Dean practically ran from her door to the next, catching his breath before he knocked. This time it was a man with a mullet and beer in his hand.

“Ash? I didn’t know you lived in this building,” Dean said, surprised.

“Dean! How’s it going buddy! Yeah I moved here a few months ago.”

“Wow. Guess I’m a little slow on the uptake. You wouldn’t happen to know which apartment Castiel Novak lives in would you?”

Ash thought for a moment, taking a long swig of his beer.

“Nah man. Sorry. But hey, come by for a beer sometime yeah?”

“Sure. See you later dude.”

Dean lost count of how many doors he knocked on, but he was staring to lose hope. What if he never found him? At the rate he was going it seemed impossible. He tried to shake off the defeated look he knew was on his face as he knocked on the next door.

There wasn’t an immediate answer so he started to move away, assuming no one was home. The door swung open to reveal a short man with a lollipop sticking out of his mouth.

“Hey there! What’re you doin knocking on my door stranger?” he asked.

“Um, I’m looking for someone.” 

“Aren’t we all.”

“Does Castiel Novak live here?”

The man narrowed his eyes at him.

“Depends on who’s asking.”

“Oh, I’m Dean. Dean Winchester.”

His eyes widened in recognition.

“Ah yes! You’re the stud muffin from the coffee shop that my brother has been enamored with.”

“Brother? Are you Gabriel?” Dean asked.

“The one and only.”

“Great! Is he home? I’ve gotta talk to him.”

“He’s not in the best of sorts right now. Seems a certain someone broke his heart,” Gabriel said, glaring at him. 

“It was a misunderstanding I swear!”

“Uh-huh, I’ve heard that one before.” 

“No really! Please. Please I’ve got to clear things up. He needs to know how I…how I feel.”

“Sounds like my brother’s not the only one who’s infatuated.”

Dean blushed.

“He’s in his room. Down the hall, second door on the right,” Gabriel said, stepping aside to let Dean in.

“Thank you!” he said, rushing past him and down the hall.

He stopped outside Cas’s door, taking a moment to breath before he knocked. 

“Go away Gabriel!” a voice shouted from inside. 

“I-It’s not Gabriel,” he called back.

He heard shuffling on the other side of the door before it opened to reveal a very bedraggled looking Cas. He was still wearing his pajamas from the night before and he looked up at Dean through bleary eyes that were red a puffy. He’d been crying. Dean wanted to throw himself off a damn bridge for making Cas cry.

“H-hey Cas,” he greeted lamely.

“What are you doing here?” Cas asked, tone icy.

“I wanted to talk to you a-about last night.”

“I don’t need your pity Dean.”

“It’s not pity! Look, it wasn’t what you thought.”

Cas looked at him skeptically.”

“Go on.”

“That was my brother’s girlfriend, Jess. She heard us talking and it woke her up. She wasn’t there with me. I swear.”

Cas blinked at Dean, clearly processing.

“So…you’re not involved with someone?”

“No. No I’m not,” Dean assured him.

“And if I hadn’t left…”

“I would have told you that I started falling for you the second you walked into the shop without your glasses.”

A split second later Cas had dragged Dean fully into the bedroom, closed the door and slammed him up against him, kissing him hard. Dean groaned into the kiss, fisting the front of Cas’s bee shirt and pulling him closer. He tasted even better than Dean had imagined. He pulled back from the kiss to breathe.

“I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you,” he confessed, pressing soft kisses all over Cas’s cheeks, across the bridge of his nose and down his neck.

“Mmm, love you too,” Cas breathed, pressing against him hard enough for Dean to feel the hard outline of his cock against his upper thigh. He gasped, pulling Cas’s hips flush against his, creating a barely there friction that had them both groaning. 

Cas’s hands were everywhere, sliding down his chest and then around his back, digging in hard enough to leave marks on his shoulders. Dean yanked him in for another kiss, rolling his hips against Cas’s at a steady pace. 

“B-bed,” Cas managed between moans. 

Dean nodded because moving this to the bed sounded like the best idea he’d ever heard. He shoved Cas backwards onto it, crawling over him and kissing his angel breathless again.

“Dean,” Cas whispered, “I want more. Please.”

Dean pulled back, looking down at the gorgeous man he finally had writhing under him.

“What do you want angel?” he asked.

“N-not sex. I’m not r-ready for that,” Cas admitted, blushing and turning away.

“Hey, no need to be embarrassed. We can take this as slow as you want.”

“I want to keep going just…not all the way. Not yet.”

“Okay Cas. Whatever you want. Anything,” Dean said, pressing a chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth. 

He sat up, pulling Cas with him. His hands played at the hem of the others shirt before pulling it up over his head and tossing it onto the floor. His heart skipped a beat. God Cas as beautiful. He clearly worked out because damn was he toned. The sight of him had Dean feeling self conscious about the layer of softness over his own muscles. Cas grabbed the bottom of Dean’s shirt and yanked it off, throwing it off to join his own on the floor. 

His eyes ran over Dean’s body hungrily as he leaned forward, taking a nipple into his mouth and sucking gently. Dean gasped, hands flying to Cas’s hair, all of his insecurities flying out the damn window. 

“Mmm, Cas,” he moaned.

“Does it feel good?” Cas asked.

Dean nodded, sighing as Cas returned to his ministrations, his other hand moving to play with Dean’s other nipple. He allowed Cas to lay him back and climb on top, straddling him. Cas bit his lip, looking a little unsure as his eyes flicked down to the button of Dean’s pants.

“You want to take off my jeans?” Dean asked, looking up at Cas heatedly.

Cas nodded.

“Go ahead.”

Cas’s hands practically ripped his jeans open, pushing them down his legs, boxer briefs included, as far as he could before Dean kicked them off the rest of the way. The latter’s pants and briefs quickly followed his own. They took a moment to drink each other in before Cas was claiming his mouth again and rutting against him.

Dean growled as their cocks slid together, grabbing Cas’s hips and flipping them over again so he was on top. Cas seemed on board with that plan as his legs wrapped securely around Dean’s hips as he pushed his hips up to match Dean’s pace.

“F-feels so good,” Cas whimpered, holding Dean tighter against him.

“I-I’m not gonna last,” Dean managed to grit out.

“Me either. Oh God Dean!”

Dean brought a hand down between them, taking both their cocks in his hand, rocking faster. 

The room was silent except for the wet sounds of skin sliding against skin and the rough breaths and groans they were both letting out. Dean pulled back enough to look down at Cas’s face. His mouth was open in an “o” shape, his eyes squeezed shut. So beautiful. 

“Kiss me! Dean, kiss me,” Cas pleaded.

Dean complied, claiming Cas’s mouth in a sloppy kiss that was all tongue and teeth clacking together. It didn’t matter how little finesse there was. It was perfect. A moment later Cas was breaking the kiss, throwing his head back and cumming hard with a cry. That was it for Dean. He followed a second later, groaning loudly into Cas’s neck.

Dean collapsed on top of him, not caring about the mess between them. Cas traced lazy circles on his back as they caught their breath together. It felt like hours later that either of them spoke.

“We should shower,” Cas murmered, pressing a kiss to the top of Dean’s head and running his fingers through his seat soaked hair.

“Later,” Dean grumbled.

“If we go to sleep now we’ll wake up all sticky.”

“Don’t care.”

Cas chuckled affectionately as Dean’s stubbornness.

“Come on, we’ll take a shower and then you can take me out.”

“This is a little backwards isn’t it?” Dean asked, pushing himself up a little and grimacing at the cooling cum on his abdomen. 

Cas just shrugged, sliding off the bed and heading to the bathroom connected to his bedroom.

“I suppose. But I don’t mind.”

“Me either,” Dean said, smiling and wrapping his arms around Cas from behind. 

Cas melted against him.

“So, where are you taking me for our first official date?” he asked.

“Well definitely not out for coffee.”


End file.
